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Residents of an old Garstang care home are getting ready to move into a ground-breaking new building this spring.

Bowgreave Rise on Garstang Road, which will boast the latest green technology, has been in the making since October 2021 and will replace a much-loved but ’tired’ older care home.

Lancashire County Council's new £7m home will provide much-improved, modern facilities for people needing mainstream or dementia care. Built by Eric Wright Construction and handed over to the county council on March 6, the new building has 45 bedrooms spread over three storeys, comprising five living areas for people with dementia or physical frailties.

Each of the five luxurious living areas features nine bedrooms, a kitchen, lounge and dining area and quiet lounge. There are also spacious, secure gardens surrounded by fields and views out to the Forest of Bowland. An on site hairdresser and a state-of-the-art staff training area are also featured.

Pictured from left at the new care home at Bowgreave Rise in Garstang are Chris Bagshaw, Head of Older People's Care Services; James Eager, Construction Director of Eric Wright Construction; Darren Clayton, Eric Wright Partnerships Project Coordinator; Louise Taylor, Lancashire County Council's Executive Director of Adult Services and Health and Wellbeing; Coun Graham Gooch, Lancashire County Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care; Elaina Quesada, Lancashire County Council's Deputy Executive Director of Adult Services; Coun John Ibison, Wyre Borough Council; Coun Lady Dulcie Atkins, Wyre Borough Council; Coun Sir Robert Atkins, Wyre Borough Council; Paul Lee, Lancashire County Council's Director of Adult Care and Provider Services, and Coun Shaun Turner, Lancashire County Council's Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change.

The ground-breaking new home boasts the latest green technology to help lower its carbon footprint. This includes solar panels, an energy efficient underfloor heating system, electronic vehicle charging points and high-quality double glazing to insulate it and ensure the temperature stays consistent.

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Meanwhile, recycled and upcycled materials have also been used to build the new facility, where possible. With residents aiming to move in by the end of April, the old building is set to be demolished soon after.

It's hoped the new home, which has a Care Quality Commission rating of 'Good', will be a blueprint for similar ones across Lancashire.

A view from one of the windows at the new care home at Bowgreave Rise in Garstang.

County Coun Graham Gooch, cabinet member for adult social care, said: "The former facility at Bowgreave Rise has done a good job for a long time and staff at the service have worked so hard to deliver high standards of modern care, achieving a CQC rating of 'Good' at the last inspection, which carries over to the new facility.

"However, the old building is not up to modern standards and appears a bit tired, and for this reason, we have built a new, more spacious care home so people have precisely the right care they need, and at the right setting."

Residents of ground-breaking new Garstang care home set to blaze the trail for Lancashire